


Doorways

by schweet_heart



Series: Merlin Fic [146]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fae, Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Celtic Mythology & Folklore, M/M, Mutual Pining, Self-Sacrifice
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-20
Updated: 2018-09-20
Packaged: 2019-07-14 17:46:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16045451
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/schweet_heart/pseuds/schweet_heart
Summary: You must neither eat nor drink when you dance with the wee folk, my prince,Grunhilda had told him,or you will never come home again.MMM 2018 (September) Prompt Day #6.





	Doorways

**Author's Note:**

> **Prompt Day 6: Thursday, September 20th**
> 
> Path I: Doorway [[image](https://78.media.tumblr.com/3cbb0dda05e20cd6fbfe076fb07124c4/tumblr_pdng0z6CAX1w3cu63o1_1280.jpg)]  
> Path II: Your favourite flash of anger.
> 
> Happy 10th Merlin Anniversary!

 

The door under the hill was half-hidden by creepers, covered in a motif of shifting vines that looked almost like a living thing. Arthur stood before it for a long moment before he pushed it open, hearing again his nursemaid’s warning in the back of his head: _you must neither eat nor drink when you dance with the wee folk, my prince,_ Grunhilda had told him, _or you will never come home again_.

 

And yet, the boy was there when he entered the dance hall. As always, the cavernous room was aglow with fairy lights, its inhabitants shining with unearthly beauty as they whirled in time to the beat. The boy was waiting for him beside one of the pillars, and as soon as Arthur came within reach he pulled him close, as though it had been months since they had parted instead of days.

 

“You came back,” the boy said, settling his hands on Arthur’s waist. They seemed to burn through the thin material of his shirt, imprinted against his hips like a brand. “I was hoping you would.”

 

“Of course.” The boy had blue eyes, dark hair, and pale skin, and he felt preternaturally hot where he was pressed against Arthur’s body. When he smiled, his lips parted revealed tiny, pointed teeth. “I had to see you.”

 

“And so you have.” The boy leaned closer. He had no breath, yet his mouth seared Arthur’s skin. “Will you leave now, then?”

 

“No.” If Arthur had his way, he would never leave again. “A dance, first.”

 

“As you wish.”

 

The music carried them both like magic, and they fell into step with the crowd without missing a beat. It was like that always with them; they moved in tandem, faster than a mortal prince could bear to think, and that was the part of the dance that Arthur loved best—the reckless abandon, and yet, the relief, the knowledge that someone would be there to catch him when he fell.

 

He did not know how long they danced before the music stopped. They parted reluctantly from one another and bowed, careful to respect the niceties even now, and Arthur found himself jostled by an elf carrying a tray filled with goblets of mead. Without a second thought, he reached for a cup, only to have it dashed from his hands before it reached his lips.

 

“Are you trying to get yourself killed?” the boy demanded, eyes flashing. “You must know what happens to mortals who drink with us.”

 

“I want to stay,” Arthur tried to explain. “There’s nothing for me out there, and I want—I want to be with you.”

 

The boy’s outrage dimmed, and he took Arthur’s wrists, his slim fingers steady against the startled pulse. “Not like this,” he said, pressing a hard, sweet kiss to Arthur’s mouth. “Not on their terms.”

 

“Then whose?” Arthur asked. “And when?”

 

“When I find you,” the boy promised him, and in the blink of an eye the hall was gone.


End file.
